City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | El Centro | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $938/mo | $1,235/mo | 24.0% lower in A |
| Median home value | $266,500 | $235,000 | 13.4% higher in A |
| Median household income | $54,922 | $60,440 | 9.1% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 104.8 | 99.8 | 5.1% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 147.6 | 98.7 | 49.6% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 101.6 | 96.1 | 5.7% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 101.4 | 94.2 | 7.7% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in El Centro, you'd need $107,727 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
El Centro, CA is about 7.2% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 33% lower in El Centro than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in El Centro, you'd need about $86,182 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.